The population of South Korea for the year is. Population of South Korea (2019)
Over the next 10 years, 80% of G20 countries will face unprecedented population declines that will profoundly change the global economy. Developed economies are literally on their way to extinction, while less developed economies grow like weeds.
UN population forecasts are too optimistic and have little in common with reality. Extremely low fertility rates in industrialized countries contradict UN forecasts.
The South Korean government's forecast shows that within 7 years the country's population will begin to decline and if this trend continues, the country's population will simply die out in the future.
South Korea's demographic collapse coincides with China's, and Japan's population is already declining. The world's second, third and eleventh largest economies will see their workforce and consumer base become smaller and smaller, but renowned analysts see no problem with this. Typically, the working-age population, which produces and consumes the most, begins to decline 10 years earlier.
The country with the most homogeneous population and Asia's 4th largest economy is about to decline. South Korea has the world's lowest birth rate (16 years in a row), resulting in a rapidly aging population. 2016 saw the lowest birth rate in 7 years.
Although the population grew rapidly from 1946, it began to decline in 1966 due to the birth control program.
Urbanization, availability of higher education, and increased participation of women in the labor force have affected the population size. As in many cultures, in South Korean culture, male descendants are very important to the principle of family continuity, as they provided financial support and took care of their parents in old age, so everyone strived to have sons.
If the first child was not a boy, it was necessary to produce as many children as needed until a son was born. In 1973, a law on selective abortion was passed, but, as it turned out, there were abuses of the law in the event that a woman was pregnant with a female child.
Overall, the population has increased in most provinces. Then the government intervened, introducing the slogan “It is better to give birth to one child and give him a full education.” In 2016, the total population of South Korea was more than 51 million people, 1 million were foreigners.
Any demographic forecast predicts a sharp decline in population. In 2050 there will probably be 40-48 million Koreans, and in 2100 there will be about 20 million.
All these social phenomena and government measures contribute to a decrease in the birth rate of the country's population and its aging. Although population growth in Korea will likely continue for several years, it will soon begin to decline rapidly, so that by 2750 the population of South Korea will simply die out.
By 2045, Korea could become the oldest country in the world: the average age of residents here will be 50 years. The population pyramid has begun to expand, which means that the number of older people is increasing, while the number of young people and children is decreasing.
In 2016-2017 For the first time, there was a decline in the working-age population aged 15-64 years, which means that consumption levels in Korea have begun to decline. Now people aged 65 years make up 14.12% of society, and those aged 0-14 years make up only 13.21%.
It is likely that in less than 50 years, the number of elderly people will reach more than 40% of the total population of South Korea.
Some of the reasons for Korea's low birth rate are similar to those in Japan in the early 1990s. Couples are reluctant to have a large family due to the high cost of living, including housing and education. South Koreans have the longest working hours in the world, so they don't have time to start a family.
At the same time, there is a high level of unemployment among young people. Women do not want to have children at an early stage of life, preferring to build a career, not being able to get maternity leave, and faced with low levels of male participation in raising children and doing housework. On average, women have their first child at age 31. Many people don't feel the need to start a family.
Low birth rates are not the only problem in South Korea: mortality is another problem. South Korea is one of the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world. 40 Koreans commit suicide every day. This problem very often affects older people.
Half of people aged 65 live in relative poverty, and 1/4 of them live alone. They haven't saved for retirement. They can't find work, and levels of isolation and depression are rising in an aging society.
Among young people, the most common cause of suicide is stress in the workplace and in the education system. 40% of suicides are committed under the influence of alcohol: South Korea is the world's largest consumer of strong alcoholic beverages.
On average, there are 14 suicides per week in this country (compared to three in the United States). Koreans feel overwhelming shame about the psychological problems they experience, yet they are reluctant to undergo appropriate treatment.
Alcohol abuse is considered a more acceptable option here than trying to seek help from a specialist in solving the problem. This undoubtedly contributes to a large number of suicides.
The demographic situation will negatively affect South Korea's economic growth. Seoul, whose residents make up 20% of the entire nation, will feel the biggest change in its population structure: its workforce will shrink. Seoul's population is expected to decline by at least 1 million people by 2040. Already throughout the country, healthcare costs have increased (from 3.8% to 7.2% of GDP).
Economists have suggested that the best option for Japan and Korea may be to end gender discrimination and bring more women into the workforce. Of course, Wall Street economists know that these policies have led to lower birth rates in Europe. Still, financial analysts in New York are desperately looking for ways to expand the workforce in the world's most productive countries.
Korean President Moon Jae-in attaches great importance to the elderly, who now make up the majority of society, and notes the need to create suitable living conditions for such a large population group. As life expectancy has increased, it is worth creating jobs for this age group, especially as the labor force declines.
The president's plan is to raise pensions, double the number of jobs for older workers, increase monthly wages, fund Alzheimer's and dementia care, and make social housing more affordable for seniors.
The South Korean government needs help getting more robots into households. A good solution to the demographic crisis in South Korea would be reunification with North Korea, where the population situation looks more stable. The homogeneity of the race will be preserved, although for now this seems unrealistic.
The situation of South Korea, the world's 11th largest economy and 5th exporter, will affect many countries. It is a global manufacturer of phones, integrated circuits, automobiles, automotive parts, LCD displays and petroleum products, focusing on technology and design. In terms of trade relations, circumstances in South Korea will have the greatest impact on China, the US, Japan, Germany, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
The demographic crisis will also affect the country's security. This will change the geopolitical balance as Japan and South Korea are extensions of the US military in East Asia.
The future of South Korea is extremely uncertain. And there is very little time left to avoid the worst. However, some analysts predict that a downward trend is inevitable.
Over the next 10 years, 80% of G20 countries will experience unprecedented population decline, fundamentally changing the global economy. Economists and financial planners should consider the coming demographic collapse in the so-called developed world. Successful economies are literally on the path to extinction, while the population of countries with terrible economic indicators is growing by leaps and bounds. UN population projections are too optimistic and have little to do with reality. The extremely low fertility rates in industrialized countries contradict the bleak UN forecasts.
The South Korean government's forecast shows that the country's population will begin to decline in the next seven years, and if the trend continues, the nation will become extinct in the distant future. South Korea's demographic collapse coincides with China's; and Japan's population is already declining at an incredible rate. The labor resources and consumer base of the second, third and eleventh economies of the world will become smaller and smaller, but for some reason recognized analysts do not see a problem here. It is significant that the working-age population, which produces and consumes the most, began to decline ten years ago.
The population of the most homogeneous country in the world and the 4th largest economy in Asia will soon begin to decline. South Korea has the lowest fertility rate(16 years in a row), as a result of which society is aging. 2016 saw the lowest number of newborns ever and the lowest fertility rate (1.17) in 7 years.
Population of South Korea
Population (thousands)
Fertility rate (number of children per woman)
fertility rate; population - UN data
population – Statistics Korea data, average option; population – Statistics Korea data, lowest version
Data sources: UN, World Bank, Statistics Korea
The population grew rapidly after the founding of the republic in 1948, but began to decline in 1966 due to the birth control program. Population numbers have also begun to be affected by urbanization, access to higher education, and increased female labor force participation. As in many cultures, in South Korea, male offspring were considered very important for procreation, as men provided financial support and took care of parents in old age, so everyone aspired to have a son. If the first child was not male, then the couple had as many children as was required to finally have a son. In 1973, a law was passed allowing abortion in special cases, but it began to be abused, since abortion was predominantly carried out on female fetuses. In general, the population grew in most provinces (the exceptions are large cities such as Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju). Then the government began encouraging married couples to have as few children as possible with the slogan: “ have one child and raise him well". In 2016, the total population of South Korea was more than 51 million, including 1 million foreigners. All demographic forecasts predict a significant population decline. There may be 40-48 million Koreans in 2050, but only about 20 million in 2100.
Population of South Korea by province in 2016
Incheon; Seoul
Sejong
Daejeon
Daegu
Ulsan
Busan
Legend
population growth
population decline
*relative to 2015
Population (millions)
Data source: https://citypopulation.de/
All these social phenomena and government measures have contributed to the reduction in the country's birth rate and, as a consequence, the aging of the population. Although Korea's population may continue to grow for a few more years, it will begin to decline rapidly, so 2150 South Koreans may become extinct. Already in 2045 Korea may be the oldest country in the world with an average age of 50 years. The population pyramid has begun to expand upward, which means that the number of older people is growing, while the number of young people and children is falling. In 2016-17 For the first time, a decline in the working-age population aged 15 to 64 was detected, which means that Korea's consumer base is shrinking. Already, people over the age of 65 make up 14.12%, and children under 14 years old make up only 13.21%. Perhaps in less than 50 years, older people will make up more than 40% of the South Korean population.
Population pyramid of South Korea in 2017 compared to 1997
Age
Men; Women
population in 1997
Data source: https://populationpyramid.net/
The reasons for Korea's low birth rate are partly the same as those in Japan in the early 1990s. Couples are reluctant to have a large family due to the rising cost of living, including the cost of housing and education. South Korea has the longest working hours in the world, so South Koreans have no time for family or personal life. At the same time, there is a high level of unemployment among young people. Women are reluctant to have children too early due to career pressures, unavailability of maternity leave, and low levels of male participation in child rearing and housework. On average, women give birth to their first child at age 31. Many Koreans believe that marriage is optional. Half of single people are under 40 and don’t feel the need to start a family. This phenomenon can also be explained by the large proportion of atheists and those who do not adhere to any formal religion.
Religious affiliation in South Korea by province in 2005
Incheon; Seoul
Sejong; no data
Daejeon
Daegu
Ulsan; no data
Busan
Legend
Buddhists
Protestants
Catholics
No or other
Data source: 2005 South Korean Census, religion data by province
Low birth rates are not the only problem in South Korea: mortality is another problem. South Korea is one of the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world. 40 Koreans commit suicide every day, which is also a consequence of the reduction in the number of believers. This problem very often affects older people. Half of people over the age of 65 live in relative poverty, and ¼ live alone. They didn't save for retirement. They can't find work, and isolation and depression have increased in an aging society. Among young people, the most common cause of suicide is increased stress at work and in the education system. 40% of suicides are committed under the influence of alcohol, and South Korea is the world's largest consumer of spirits. The average Korean drinks 14 standard drinks per week (compared to 3 in the US). Koreans feel ashamed of psychological problems and rarely dare to seek appropriate treatment. Alcohol abuse is more acceptable than visiting a psychiatrist. It definitely contributes to a large number of suicides.
Highest suicide rates in the world in 2015
suicide rate (per 100 thousand population)
countries
Sri Lanka; Guyana; Mongolia; Kazakhstan; Suriname; Lithuania; Angola; South Korea; Sierra Leone; Bolivia; CAR; Belarus; Poland; Zimbabwe: Russian Federation; Swaziland; Cameroon; Latvia; Ukraine; Burkina Faso; Belgium; India; Hungary; Japan; Togo; North Korea; Uruguay; Nigeria; Benin; Slovenia; Estonia; Kiribati; Chad; Finland; Laos; Argentina; Lesotho; Eritrea; Trinidad and Tobago; Burundi; Mozambique; Cambodia; Ethiopia; Sweden; Thailand; Botswana; Rwanda; Uganda; USA
Data source: World Health Organization
Causes of death in South Korea in 2016
Mortality rate (per 100 thousand population)
Malignant tumors (cancer); Cardiovascular diseases; Cerebrovascular diseases; Pneumonia; Intentional self-harm (suicide); Diabetes; Chronic diseases of the lower respiratory tract; Liver diseases; Hypertonic disease; Road traffic accidents
Data source: Statistics Korea
The demographic situation will negatively affect South Korea's economic growth. Seoul, whose residents make up 20% of the country's total population, will be most affected by changes in population structure: its labor force will be significantly reduced. Seoul's population is expected to decline by at least 1 million by 2040. Health care costs in the country have already increased (from 3.8% to 7.2% of GDP).
New York financial site Business Insider wrote that, according to economists, the best approach for Japan and Korea may be to abandon gender roles and bring more women into the workforce. Of course, Wall Street economists know that these policies have led to lower birth rates in Europe. Yet New York financial analysts are desperately looking for ways to increase the workforce in the world's most productive countries.
Korean President Moon Jae-In also emphasizes the elderly who form a significant part of society and the need to provide adequate living conditions for such a large group. As life expectancy has increased, it makes sense to create jobs for this age group, especially given the shrinking labor force. The president's plan is to raise pensions, double the number of jobs for older workers and raise monthly wages, fund treatments for Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and increase the availability of social housing for seniors.
The South Korean government is also looking to bring more robots into households. A good solution to South Korea's demographic crisis would be reunification with North Korea, where the population situation appears to be more stable. This would preserve racial homogeneity, and although this seems unrealistic for now, this could be the answer to the crisis of the North and South.
The situation in South Korea, the world's 11th largest economy and 5th largest exporter, will affect many countries. The country is a global producer of phones, integrated circuits, cars, auto parts, ships, LCD monitors and petroleum products and specializes in technology and design. In the context of trade, the situation in South Korea will most affect China, the United States, Japan, Germany, Australia and Saudi Arabia. The demographic crisis will also affect the country's security. The geopolitical balance will change, since Japan and South Korea are US military allies in East Asia.
The future of South Korea is very uncertain. There is little time left to avoid the worst. And some even predict that the downward trend cannot be changed.
« Family planning and birth control programs in the Third World» ( Family planning programs and birth control in the third world), US National Library of Medicine, .
« GenderdiscriminationVabortionsBysexualattributeAndherovercomingVSouthKorea» ( Gender Discrimination in Sex Selective Abortions and its Transition in South Korea), Women's Studies International Forum, 2009 .
In 1988, to stop sex-selective abortions, a law was passed prohibiting doctors from disclosing the sex of a child.
« DemographySouthKorea» ( Demographics of South Korea), New World Encyclopedia, 13/12/2017 .
« Levelbirth rateVSouthKoreafellbeforerecordminimum» ( South Korea birth rate plunges to record low), BBC News, 13/12/2017 .
« BeachSouthKorea: stressAndsuicideVKoreansociety» ( The “Scourge of South Korea”: Stress and Suicide in Korean Society), Berkeley Political Review, 14/12/2017 .
« Koreafrom « demographicbombsslowactions» separates 20 years» ( Korea is 20 years away from a ‘demographic time bomb’), Business Insider, 14/12/2017 .
« South Koreanparadoxinequalities: longlife, goodhealthAndpoverty» ( South Korea’s inequality paradox: long life, good health and poverty), The Guardian, 18/12/2017 .
« South Koreandemographicdilemma» ( South Korea's demographic dilemma),
How has the population of Korea changed over the centuries? How many people lived there before, and how many live there now?
Answering these questions is not always easy. The main problem faced by those historians who study the demography of medieval Korea (and indeed any medieval state) is the lack of any reliable statistical materials. In this regard, historians of Korea are still in a rather advantageous position, because population censuses have been conducted quite regularly here since ancient times.
At first glance, these censuses were organized according to a harmonious pattern. Once every three years, village elders reported to officials how many families ("yards") there were in a particular village, and how many people lived in each yard. This information was sent to the district, and then to the province, and finally to the capital, where it was summarized.
However, it has long been known that the results of these ancient “censuses” are extremely unreliable. Firstly, they were carried out much less regularly than theoretically expected. Secondly, according to modern historians, censuses could underestimate the real population by more than two times. Often, two censuses taken just a few years apart would produce completely different results. There were several reasons for this. The main one was that the census was not carried out by the authorities for the purpose of idle demographic curiosity. The government needed to know how many taxpayers there were in the country and how many were liable for military service. Based on census data, tax and conscription quotas were determined for each province and each county. It is clear that the majority of the people were not particularly eager to pay taxes or join the glorious ranks of the armed forces. Therefore, any village, any county sought to downplay the size of its population, because this meant that later they would have to pay less taxes and send fewer men to serve as soldiers. Thus, the data presented “to the top” were always underestimated to one degree or another. The few officials simply did not have the opportunity to seriously check them, and, often, they did not particularly strive to do so (especially if excessive bureaucratic curiosity was neutralized by expensive donations from interested residents of the district).
Therefore, all data on the population of Korea in the pre-colonial era, that is, in the period before 1910, are extremely unreliable. Apparently, in the 15th century, approximately 7-8 million people lived in the country, that is, 10 times less than now (I remind you that we are talking about both halves of Korea, and currently the total population of the North and South is 70 million Human). The 15 millionth milestone was overcome at the end of the 18th or beginning of the 19th century. The vast majority of Koreans, approximately 96-98%, then lived in villages. The population of Seoul, as far as we can judge now, during the five centuries of the Ly dynasty fluctuated between 100 and 150 thousand people. It was, of course, the largest city in Korea, because the population of even the largest provincial cities in those days did not exceed 10 thousand. Already in our century, in 1918, Seoul had 189,153 inhabitants, that is, more than six times more than in Kaesong, which, with a population of 27,659 people, was then the second city in the country. It is curious that Pyongyang was then in third place (21,869), in fourth and fifth place were the now completely provincial Sangju and Jeongju, while the current megacities of Busan, Daegu, and Gwangju occupied very modest places: twelfth, sixth, and... thirty sixth respectively.
The first reliable census, that is, organized according to modern scientific methods, was carried out in Korea only in 1910. It gave a result of 17 million 420 thousand people. For comparison, the population of Russia at that time was 160 million people, the USA - 92 million, France - 40 million, China - 450 million. In other words, in 1910, the population of Korea was 9 times less than the Russian population (now it is two times less) and 6 times less than the American population (now it is four times less). In 1945, when Korea was divided into North and South, there were already 28 million people living in it: about 19 million in the South, and about 9 million in the North. This ratio (2:1 in favor of the South) generally remains the same to this day.
Like everywhere else in the world, the population of Korea before the beginning of this century was very young. The birth rate was very high, a woman usually gave birth 7-10 times during her (usually short) life, but about a third of the children died before reaching the age of one, and another third did not live to reach the age of ten. This is not surprising: in the now idealized Tsarist Russia at the end of the last century, according to official data, out of every 1000 newborns, 279 died before reaching one year old! In Korea in 1910, the average life expectancy of men was only... 24 years. Women lived a little longer - 26 years. These numbers seem terribly low to us, but, again, for those times they were quite common. Therefore, the population of Korea, despite the high birth rate, grew very slowly. The high birth rate was “compensated” by the high death rate.
During the colonial era, the situation in Korea improved significantly. New drugs, European medicine and, especially, the spread of modern ideas about hygiene have made many diseases curable - from appendicitis to cholera - that were previously deadly. Therefore, by 1945, the average life expectancy for men was 43, and for women - 44 years, that is, almost two (!) times longer than just three decades earlier.
Generally speaking, the demographic situation in Korea in 1920-1960. was very similar to what now exists in Africa or the Middle East: during this time, the birth rate remained high, but the death rate declined rapidly. The result was rapid population growth. Over the past century, Korea's population has quadrupled, much of it happening in just 15 years: 1945-1960! For comparison: over the same century, the population of France increased by 1.4 times, Spain - by 2.0 times, Germany - by 1.2 times, Japan - by 1.9 times.
In the sixties, the rate of population growth caused considerable concern in Korea, then a poor country. The authorities even launched a birth control campaign at that time, although not as active as in present-day China. However, the best solution to problems, as always happens, was not loud slogans, posters and persistent calls for civic consciousness, but the economic development of the country. As living standards and education levels increased, the birth rate in Korea began to decline rapidly, very quickly. This happens always and everywhere: contrary to popular ideas in modern Russia, the better people live in a particular country, the fewer children they have, as a rule. In just two decades, Korea has transformed from a typical developing country into a typical highly developed country: with low birth rates, low deaths, and high life expectancy. In 1995, Korean men lived on average 70.4 years and Korean women lived 78 years, three times longer than just a century ago.
However, there is a downside to this new model. Like most developed countries, today in Korea even simple reproduction of the population is not ensured. Nowadays, a Korean woman has an average of 1.8 children. Given that most married women in Korea do not work, they no longer want to have as many children as their mothers or grandmothers had. This is understandable. In the old days, children, especially sons, were a guarantee of a secure old age. In addition, in peasant families (that is, in 9/10 of all families), children began to work at the age of 10-11, and their labor contribution to the family budget could be very significant. Now the situation has changed. Children’s education is very expensive, they start working very late, and many ways to provide for themselves in old age have appeared.
It is clear that in order for the population to remain at a more or less stable level, on average there should be a little more than two births per woman. This situation, for example, exists in the United States, where on average a woman has 2.1 children. However, among developed countries, the United States, with its cult of family and “family values,” is an exception, while Korea, with its 1.8 children per family, is much more typical. The population of Korea, however, continues to grow, but this is happening solely due to the continuing increase in life expectancy and the constant decrease in mortality to this day.
In 1998, the population of South Korea was 46 million 440 thousand people. Data on the population of the North are not very reliable, but it is most likely around 23-24 million. If you count both northerners and southerners, then Korea is in 12th place in the world in terms of population. Even if we talk about South Korea alone, then it is not the smallest country: South Korea with its 46 million inhabitants is in approximately the same “weight category” as England (57 million), Poland (38 million), France (58 million), Spain (40 million).
The population of South Korea is more than 48 million people.
National composition:
- Koreans (99%);
- other nations (Chinese, Filipinos, Thais, Vietnamese, Americans).
Koreans are confident that they are descendants of Altai or proto-Altai tribes: they compare themselves with the Turks, Mongols and Tungus. Their confidence is based on archaeological data, according to which tribes from the southern and central regions of Siberia actually migrated to the Korean Peninsula during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
There are 480 people living per 1 sq. km, but the most densely populated is the Seoul district of Yangcheon-gu (population density is over 27,000 people per 1 sq. km), and the least populated is Inje-gun County (Gangwon Province): here per 1 sq. km. km there are 20 people living there.
The official language is Korean, but English is also widely used in the country.
Major cities: Seoul, Daejeon, Busan, Iacheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, Suwon,
Half of the residents of South Korea (51%) profess Buddhism, the rest - Protestantism, Catholicism, Confucianism, and shamanism.
Lifespan
The female population lives on average to 80, and the male population to 73 years. Despite fairly high indicators, South Korea does not allocate much money to healthcare ($2000 per year per person).
Koreans boast the lowest obesity rate at 4%, while the European average is 18% and Mexico is 40%. And this is surprising, because they do not adhere to a healthy diet: they eat few vegetables and fruits, and their diet consists of meat, fatty and fried foods, as well as inedible, according to Europeans, dishes in the form of fried insects.
Surely, Koreans would live even longer if not for their craving for smoking and alcoholic beverages.
Traditions and customs of South Koreans
Koreans are a devout people who respect ancestors, family, parents and friends, as well as all cultures and foreigners.
In South Korea, it is interesting that a man, regardless of his age, will be considered an adult by others only after he gets married.
A special event in the life of Koreans is the birth of a child: on the 100th day after his birth, the family organizes a small evening, inviting close relatives and friends to it. And when the child turns one year old, this event is celebrated with special pomp. In addition to the fact that many people are invited to this event, the child is dressed in a bright silk suit, and a special ritual is held in his honor - fortune telling for his future.
Koreans love to celebrate holidays. For example, on the Seokhonje holiday (March, September), people go to Confucian chapels, where costumed processions are held, accompanied by a traditional orchestra. And on Buddha's birthday (May), Koreans organize a spectacular spectacle - a lantern parade.
If you are invited to some establishment in Korea, know that it is customary here for everyone to pay for themselves, and if you are invited to visit, you must praise the hostess for the food (this is very highly valued).
Approximately 50 million people. The area of the territory is a little more than 100 square kilometers. Thus, the population of South Korea has a density of more than 500 people per square kilometer.
Compare with Russia
The territory is 171 times smaller than the Russian Federation. 2.85 times less. Nominally, Koreans are more than 3 times richer than Russians (data before the crises and devaluation of 2014-2015).
Fertility problems
As is known from the experience of developed countries in Europe and the United States, the wealth of the population leads to a decrease in the birth rate. This fate befell the Asian economic giant. The birth rate has been fixed below 1.20 per woman for many years. One of the worst indicators in the world. If the situation does not change in the coming years, the population of South Korea could decline to 20 million by the end of this century. Experts predict complete extinction if this birth rate continues by the middle of the 28th century. Only a few countries in the world have lower rates - Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau.
Economic characteristics of the country
South Korea is the industrial leader of the Asian region with a developed IT industry. Unlike countries rich in natural resources, it has no natural resources. This forces us to develop non-resource sectors: tourism, banking, information technology, electronics, automotive industry, and alternative energy sources.
Hard work and diligence are traits of Korean culture. Only recently did official labor legislation move to an 8-hour day with a 5-day work week. Prior to this, a 6-day workweek with a 10-hour workday was permitted and widely enforced by law. This schedule is still in effect at many enterprises. The authorities are not particularly struggling to comply with the labor regime. The level of competition in the workplace forces you to give 100 percent.
In this country, students reach the age of 24-28. Moreover, each level (and there are many of them) is accompanied by qualifying exams and selections. After studying, competition only intensifies in enterprises. The long educational path is associated with high demands from employers. South Korea is a leader in digital communication technologies.
This is one of the few Asian countries in which the role of the state has been modified. Almost all political and economic leverage is held by large industrial corporations. The population of South Korea is not subordinate to state interests, as, for example, in the DPRK and many other Asian countries. Here, on the contrary, there is Western thinking and mentality. The state must help and take care of society.
The least favorite professions are police officers and civil servants. The first ones in the minds of South Koreans are associated with the Japanese occupation. The second is due to low wages compared to other areas. The policeman is a hated supervisor in the eyes of ordinary Koreans. Internal affairs officers themselves do not feel endowed with special power that can be abused. In society, demands are dictated by laws, and not by police, as in some other states.
Economic indicators
South Korea's population counter and system for calculating economic indicators determined the state of the economy. This country is one of the leading developed countries not only in the Asian region, but in the world.
South Korea has more than 36 thousand US dollars as of 2015. At the same time, the level of inflation and unemployment does not reach 3%. It is ranked 15th for this indicator.
The country's economy underwent a number of transformations during the 20th century; it constantly changed the vectors of its development. After World War II, the emphasis was on agricultural production. In the 50-60s. emphasis began to be placed on light industry and in the 70-80s. heavy industry developed. Today, the economy of this country is dominated by the service sector and highly intelligent manufacturing, and robotics and alternative energy sources are developing.
Thus, we can conclude that the population of South Korea is decreasing every year, and in economic terms the country is adapting to the needs of the world market and trying to occupy a leading position.
